MADRID, SPAIN – Top seed and World No. 1 Andy Murray got off to a solid winning start in Madrid, after beating wild-card Marius Copil in straight sets.

Andy Murray [1] def. Marius Copil 6-4 6-3

Amidst contrasts of heat and the wind whipping up the clay, the conditions proved to be a bit of a challenge for the Brit started his campaign for a third title.

He said, after the match: “I found it difficult to start. I haven’t practiced out there. Well, we practiced out there for 25 minutes before the match, this morning at like 11:00. That had been it.

“It was very lively out there. It was probably the hottest it’s been since we’ve been here. Found it a bit difficult at the beginning to adjust to the conditions. Also never played him before. He serves big, comes forward a bit, uses dropshots. It was tricky.

“But when I started to control the points more towards the end of the first set and second set, you know, I was hitting the ball pretty clean, creating a few chances. I didn’t give him any opportunities. It was good for the first match.”

Andy Murray – 2017 ATP Mutua Madrid Open (c) Christopher Johnson

In terms of movement and more importantly his serving, it was the most comfortable performance we have seen from him since the start of the clay court season coming off the back of an elbow injury that has blighted his year since spring.

He continued: “I still think there’s a ways to go. I don’t think I’m playing perfectly just now. I think there’s just things I can definitely do better. The most positive thing about tonight was that I feel like I can serve a little bit better than I did today.

“When I serve well, the rest of my game tends to follow. It’s an important part of the game for me. You know, when I can get a lot of free points on my first serve, put a lot of pressure on my opponent’s service games, you know, it really helps my game a lot. That was the most important thing for me today.”

Murray gets a day off as a packed Wednesday schedule sees the rest of the big seeds in action on Wednesday, and he will meet the winner of Borna Coric v Pierre-Hugues Herbert.